Better Days to Come
by MoonytheMarauder1
Summary: When Narcissa shows up on Petunia's doorstep late one night, Petunia knows that she has to forgive her. But with that forgiveness comes the promise of a better future. NarcissaPetunia


**A/N: Hey y'all! This was written for Hogwarts. Prompts are below :)**

**Muggle Music Task 3: Write about asking someone to dance**

**Word Count: 1593**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Those rights go to JK Rowling. **

**Thanks to Ari for beta-ing!**

**Enjoy!**

The night was quiet. The silence was odd to Petunia; she was used to her parents and sister causing some sort of clamor. But now she was living on her own… she'd have to get used to it.

Petunia brushed some blonde hair from her face, carefully avoiding getting any soap from the sink caught in it. There really weren't that many dishes to wash, but the action always relaxed Petunia. She'd need that tonight—the red string tied to her wrist was pulling taut, and everyone knew what that meant.

Her soulmate was seeking her out.

They had met, once, at King's Cross Station. It had been… shocking, to say the least, to discover that her soulmate was a witch belonging to one of the most prestigious magical families in Britain. She hadn't wanted to shut out the other woman, though, but Narcissa had other ideas, then.

Now, Petunia had to decide whether or not she would let the older woman in. If she would give Narcissa a second chance, if she should kindle that flame.

Petunia's eyes fell on the small pile of odds and ends from the last time Lily had invited herself over. Quills, parchment, inkwells, little clear balls, and cards with moving pictures—it was all ridiculous. Magic, Petunia thought, wasn't worth the headache.

And yet… she still wanted it in her life. She hadn't realized how much she craved it until Lily had gone off with Potter...

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She paused a moment to glare at the string that had started it all, then went to answer the door. It wouldn't do to have the witch hanging around on her doorstep, after all. She may be slightly more lenient about magic than she was a few years ago, but she didn't need her neighbors inquiring after any strange visitors.

Not that her soulmate looked strange in the slightest. Narcissa stood on the other side, even more stunning than she had been three years ago. Petunia's breath caught in her throat, much to her despair. She told herself she didn't need anyone who fancied themselves better than her, but she couldn't help but be moved by Narcissa's long, blonde hair that fell in curls down her back, the perfectly unblemished skin, her impeccable posture… but the large sunglasses on her face were doing very little to hide the tear tracks on her cheeks.

Petunia knew then and there that she would forgive her.

Narcissa's voice was soft. "May I come in?"

Petunia glanced down at the string, which had shortened to barely a foot in length. It hadn't been this short when Petunia had first met Narcissa; it seemed they were finally ready for one another.

But Petunia wasn't one to trust in fate.

"Finally decided you don't mind me being a Muggle, have you?" she asked a bit stiffly.

Narcissa's head dropped. "If you let me in, I promise I will explain everything to you. And… and apologize."

Petunia gazed at her for a long moment. Then she stepped aside, and Narcissa entered quickly. Petunia put the kettle on, a habit that showed itself whenever company was over, then hurried back into the sitting room where Narcissa had seated herself on an armchair.

The sunglasses were off, and Petunia could see the redness in Narcissa's blue eyes. "We've lost everything," she murmured sadly, "haven't we?"

Petunia busied herself with the tea. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

Narcissa's thin fingers brushed at her eyes. "We could have had years, and I've ruined that. I was too afraid to go after the person who was supposed to make me happy, and I…" Narcissa took a deep, shuddering breath, as though her words were difficult to say. "I am sorry for that."

If it had been anyone else, Petunia would have snubbed the apology. She hated being made to feel inferior, and that is exactly what Narcissa had done on that station platform when she realized the pull was coming from Petunia. The words "You're just a Muggle" still floated through her head.

But here was Narcissa, her expression bleak, trying to make amends. Thinking of her disastrous relationship with Lily, Petunia knew how hard that could be. And she really didn't want to ruin any other relationships.

So she bit her tongue and nodded. "We can start over then, if you'd like," she said slowly. She took a sip of her tea, her back rigid. "But if you do anything like that again, I'm not going to stick around."

"I understand," Narcissa said quickly. "Thank you."

The next few minutes passed in silence, during which Petunia mustered up the courage to voice her thoughts. "What brings you here? Why come now?"

Narcissa's eyes fell closed. "I've… left the family. They wanted me to marry a man that I simply don't love, and I know for a fact that he doesn't love me, either. I couldn't… I just couldn't do that when I knew you might have me."

Petunia raised a brow. "A bit risky, considering the fact that you turned me away when we first met."

Narcissa winced. "I know."

Petunia let her stew in her guilt for another minute before deciding to put her out of her misery. "Let's go into the garden," she suggested. "It's lovely there, and you look like you could use some peace."

Surprise flittered over Narcissa's face for only a moment. "I'd like that," she agreed.

Petunia led the way, spreading a picnic blanket that she had left on one of the lawn chairs over the ground. The two women sat on it and turned their faces towards the stars. Comfortable in each other's presence, they sat there for a while, not speaking. At one point, Narcissa laced her fingers through Petunia's.

"Merlin!" Narcissa retracted her hand. "You're ice cold. Let me keep you warm."

She took Petunia's hand in hers before the younger woman could respond, and began massaging her fingers, warming them right up. Petunia felt a blush spread across her features; no one had ever cared enough to do something like that for her before.

"I know you're Lily Evans' sister," Narcissa said suddenly. "What do you think of her?"

Petunia's lips thinned. "We don't get on. We're too different." Never mind that she was the one who'd poisoned their relationship in the first place.

Narcissa sighed. "I have two. Sisters, I mean. I'm the youngest, though. One of them was always different from the rest of the family. We ostracized her for that. But lately… lately I've been sympathizing with her. Maybe she's had the right idea all along."

Petunia frowned. They were soulmates, yes, but this seemed like a very heavy topic. Narcissa didn't seem like the type to unload, anyway. "Why are you telling me this?"

Narcissa wouldn't meet her eyes. "It's because of her that I'm here. She left the family a long time ago for her soulmate. We always hated her for it, but she was always happier, I think, with him. I wanted that." Narcissa's hands tightened around Petunia's. "I _deserve_ that."

Petunia's eyes found Narcissa's. She thought about Lily, getting to go to Hogwarts, falling so quickly in love with her own soulmate (though she couldn't see the string like Petunia could; she could only feel the pull), marrying… while Petunia herself was left in the dust. Alone.

Until now.

"We both deserve it," she said firmly.

Narcissa laughed bitterly. "We'll have to hide. Be careful. They'll be angry, and there's a war brewing—"

Petunia shook her head. She was _welcoming magic_ into her life; she wasn't going to focus on all the consequences that could follow. She wanted to focus on the good for once.

"Let's not worry about that now," she murmured. "We both want something better, so let's just move forward."

Narcissa raised a brow as though to protest, but then thought better of it. She let out a low laugh. "My wildest dreams have come true," she murmured. "I'm finally free to do whatever I please. And I have no idea what to do first."

She looked so resigned to being unhappy that Petunia felt inclined to reach forward with her free hand, though it was shaking, and tucked Narcissa's hair behind her ear. "Dance with me," she requested. There was no one watching; there was no harm in dancing in the moonlight.

Narcissa looked startled. "Here? In the garden?"

Petunia drew her hand back. "Unless you don't want to."

"No," Narcissa said after a moment of thought, "maybe it's time to shake things up."

So the two women stood up, clasped hands, and began looking towards the future. It was uncoordinated, there wasn't any music, but it was magic in its own right, Petunia decided. They passed the rose bush and the little stone statues that Petunia's mother sent (even though they were absolutely horrid), lost in a world of their own.

Petunia's eyes drifted upwards to the moon and stars. It was time to step away from her family and seize her own happiness. As she looked at those stars, she prayed she wouldn't live to regret the decision.

Narcissa's eyes were wide. "I never thought this would be so freeing," she murmured.

Petunia had to agree. This was what she wanted—the chance to have a brighter future. She didn't know much about the magical world—she was aware only of some prejudices and that these were dark times—but she did know that there was a promise of more to come.

**A/N:**

**WC: Assorted Appreciation: Eliott — (item) quill, (dialogue) "My wildest dreams have come true.", (dialogue) "You're ice cold! Let me keep you warm."**

**WC: Disney Challenge: Songs 4. The Second Star to the Right — wishing on a star**

**WC: Trope of the Month: 3. Someone overcoming a difficulty**

**WC: All Sorts of Space: 6. Bleak **

**WC: Book Club: Ivory Queen — (word) lace, (plot point) being freed, (flower) rose**

**WC: Showtime: 16. Knowing Me, Knowing You — (word) silence**

**WC: Liza's Loves: 11. Mage Hand — Write about lending a helping hand**

**WC: Angel's Archives: Emotions 4. Freedom**

**WC: Scamander's Case: 8. (setting) nighttime**

**WC: Film Festival: 10. (phrase) a second chance**

**Seasonal: Days of the Year: 30 June — someone stargazing**

**Seasonal: Summer: 7. Sunglasses**

**Seasonal: Fire: 8. (word) kindle**

**Seasonal: Mix It Up: Petunia Evans, Wheels of a Dream**

**Fortnightly: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin: (G) It's Time - Imagine Dragons (S) "We've lost everything."**

**Galleon Club: (action) dancing**

**Piñata Club: Medium: Narcissa **

**Romance Awareness: Day 2: Red String of Fate, 40. (genre) romance**

**75\. Tongue**

**181\. (theme) risk-taking**


End file.
